7/6/2017 8:24 AM PDT

Drake, Kanye West, Migos and Tyler Perry got put through the ringer before being allowed to perform at Philips Arena in ATL ... while Amy Schumer and Bon Jovi got the VIP treatment.

And why?? Blackness ... allegedly.

A former Atlanta Hawks security manager -- who also ran event security at Philips Arena -- is suing the team claiming he was wrongly fired after pointing out a system of discrimination against black celebs at the arena, which is operated and staffed by the Hawks.

Sam Hayes says it was obvious from the start of his employment in August 2016 that his white boss was going out of his way to make black stars go through more rigorous security checks than white stars.

On August 26, Drake and Future performed at Philips Arena and had asked to bypass metal detectors on their way inside but their requests were denied.

One week later, AC/DC performed and made the same metal detector bypass request -- but theirs was granted.

The pattern continued ...

Kanye West -- DENIED

The Comedy Get Down World Tour (Cedric the Entertainer, Eddie Griffin, D.L. Hughley) -- DENIED

Ariana Grande -- GRANTED (Hayes says she "doesn't like people looking at her").

WWE Live Tour -- GRANTED

Bon Jovi -- GRANTED

Ringling Brothers -- GRANTED

Hayes claims things came to a head in April 2017 when a black security officer told a white member of Radiohead's crew he had to walk through a metal detector -- and the crew member responded by dropping his pants. Hayes says a white staffer intervened and allowed the crew member to bypass.

Hayes says he went to management and was told, "Hip hop acts draw a different crowd and the white acts bring in more money."

Hayes says he was ultimately fired for bringing the issues to light -- though he was told he was axed for reprimanding lower level staffers without first consulting Human Resources.

He's demanding unspecified damages.

The Hawks are adamantly denying the allegations -- with a team spokesperson telling TMZ Sports, "[Samuel Hayes] was terminated for poor performance and his claims are baseless."

10/18/2016 11:45 AM PDT

2:15 PM PT -- Cops determined Millsap was NOT at fault ... according to a police report obtained by Chris Vivlamore of AJC.com.

Vivlamore says cops cited the biker for failure to maintain his lane.

12:20 PM PT -- Good news ... the Hawks tell TMZ Sports that Millsap was not injured and he even worked out with the team Tuesday.Atlanta Hawks superstar Paul Millsap was involved in a serious accident involving a motorcycle -- which left his Rolls-Royce smashed up and the bike wedged into the front end ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's what we know ... it all went down around 6:30 PM on Monday in Atlanta. We've spoken with several people connected to the incident but don't know exactly who crashed into whom.

We're told the biker was injured in the wreck and was transported to a local hospital in serious condition.

Officials at the scene say the motorcycle was on fire and the ATL Fire Dept. responded to put out the flames.

As for Paul, all we know is he was in the Rolls-Royce at the time of the crash -- unclear if he was the driver or a passenger.

We've reached out to the Hawks -- a rep told us they were aware of the accident. We also reached out to Paul's rep, so far no word back.

7/12/2016 7:27 AM PDT

EXCLUSIVE

Atlanta Hawks player Mike Scott pled not guilty to all charges stemming from his July 2015 drug arrest ... even though he previously admitted the drugs belonged to him.

As TMZ Sports reported, the 27-year-old forward was arrested last summer in Georgia after he and his brother allegedly led cops on a high-speed chase. When police searched their car, they found 10 grams of MDMA and more than an ounce of weed.

In a recorded interrogation with cops, Scott tried to take a bullet for his brother and said all the drugs were his. He was charged with two felonies -- possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. His brother was also hit with a bunch of charges.

According to a rep for the Banks County Court, Scott's lawyer pled not guilty on his behalf to both counts on Monday.

5/23/2015 12:15 AM PDT

EXCLUSIVE

The Atlanta Hawks' best defense against LeBron James during home games might be their badass organist who keeps the fans turnt up, and has 2 Chainz and Ludacris hanging on every note.

Sir Foster's become a breakout star during the Hawks' playoff run by busting out renditions of songs by Chris Brown, Outkast, Lady Gaga, Bon Jovi ... pretty much every genre of popular music. He tells TMZ Sports it's all thanks to Craigslist.

Foster says he landed his dream job when "the team put out a Craigslist ad for an organist. I had zero experience playing sporting events, but I figured, 'I have nothing to do today,' so I went."

He nailed that audition 6 years ago -- and now that the Hawks are dominating deep into the playoffs, he's getting national recognition, and local celebs dig him too. "I've gotten a lot of support from artists like Ludacris, 2 Chainz, Pastor Troy and The Dream."

Foster says the key to his success is staying away from traditional (aka boring) stadium music -- "I play the songs people in Atlanta like to listen to."

5/22/2015 8:36 AM PDT

EXCLUSIVE

Give Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed some credit -- even in the face of a dominant LeBron James ... he's picking his beloved Hawks to take out the Cavaliers.

Reed was out in L.A. on Thursday night when he made his prediction -- we're not shocked he's riding with the Hawks ... but the odds are stacked against them. DeMarre Carroll is nursing a bad knee, their best defender is out with a broken leg, and they've lost home court advantage.

Oh yeah, and LeBron.

So, the shocking part is the number of games he thinks the birds will need to come out on top. He's pretty much saying tonight is a must-win.

5/16/2015 12:45 AM PDT

EXCLUSIVE

ATL Hawks forward Thabo Sefalosha hasn't been able to attend a SINGLE playoff game due to the injuries he suffered during an altercation with the NYPD and he's "devastated" ... sources tell TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported, Sefalosha claims he broke his right fibula and sustained ligament damage as cops tried to take him into custody following a stabbing outside of a nightclub last month.

Thabo underwent surgery ... and sources tell us he's basically been relegated to his home to rest and recover ever since .... while his teammates have been tearing it up in the NBA playoffs.

"It's killing him that he's not in the playoffs," one source close to Thabo tells us ... "He'd much rather be competing with his team."

Meantime, Sefalosha is still facing criminal charges from the night of the arrest -- obstruction of a police officer and disorderly conduct -- though we're told he's still fighting the case ... and expects to be vindicated.

We also spoke with Thabo's lawyer who tells us he cannot comment on the criminal case but says, "They could really use Thabo in the series."

4/14/2015 11:53 AM PDT

Thabo Sefolosha is publicly blaming the NYPD for the "significant injury" he suffered during an arrest last week ... saying, "I am in great pain ... the injury was caused by the police."

We broke the story ... the NYPD has already launched an internal affairs investigation into the arrest -- in which you can see several officers physically corralling the NBA player.

In fact, you can see one cop pull out a baton and swing it -- though it's unclear from the footage if he connects with Thabo. The NYPD has said Thabo was acting in an aggressive manor which justified the use of force.

Thabo reportedly suffered a broken right fibula and ligament damage in the melee ... and now he's issued a statement blaming the police.

"On advice of counsel, I hope you can appreciate that I cannot discuss the facts of the case. Those questions will be answered by my attorney in a court of law. I will simply say that I am in great pain, have experienced a significant injury and that the injury was caused by the police."

4/10/2015 7:12 PM PDT

Atlanta Hawks star Thabo Sefolosha appeared to suffer a severe blow from an NYPD officer's nightstick during his arrest Wednesday night ... based on this new video of the violent take down.

TMZ Sports just obtained this new angle of Sefolosha's arrest, shot by a witness outside 1Oak Nightclub in NYC ... moments after Pacers Chris Copeland was stabbed.

In this video you can clearly see Sefolosha being tugged in different directions by 6 officers. Additionally ... you can see one of the officers take a big swing with his baton, and it sounds like he makes contact with something.

A witness says Thabo told police, "Calm down."

As we've reported ... Sefolosha broke his fibula during the scuffle with cops, and based on this video it's possible it could've been caused by the officer's baton.

In their report, police said Thabo was aggressively charging at one of the officers before they got physical with him. That's not evident from either video we've obtained ... since they start after the scuffle began.

Thabo is out for the remainder of the season ... due to the injury. He was arrested for obstruction, but plans to fight the charges.